House for a Photographer

The House for a Photographer is located along a road that runs through the countryside in Shiga, Japan. The neighborhood is private housing, and an entrance to the village shrine faces the building site. On the 420 m2 site the Form/Kouichi Kimura Architects have combined the different use of the house in a way that interacts instead of segments the overall plan. The photo studio and gallery are woven into the living space, and make the 160 m2 house a total experience. The building as a living space has become a dynamic space when it comes to proportion and scale, taking benefit of the studios need of natural light, as in the gallery as well, that also functions as a hallway with different ceiling heights. Built in concrete with partly galvanized steel cladding, the house has a massive appearance that does not interfere with the shrine entrance at the opposite side of the road.